Yoga has been a way of life for me for many years but I can truly say that my experiences in swimming, biking and running and the experiences of racing and competition, leave me feeling very 'far from OM'... at times... ;)

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

I'm Getting Fitter... Woo Hoo!

Well, I just completed a VO2 retest on my running. This time I did something differently and instead of doing both sports (bike and run) at the same time, I split them up with the hopes that if I approached each test individually, on separate days, my effort level might be higher for each sport. In addition to that, I had an updated resting metabolic rate test (RMR) performed so that I can send those results to Tara (my nutritionist) for my upcoming food plan.

My resting HR is 56 bpm which is about what I thought... and my HR zones have changed up somewhat... interesting that whether I'm in Z2 or Z3, I'm still burning quite a bit of fat (yeah!!!)

My metabolic rate was the most surprising of all... My RMR has increased by (are you ready for this?) 600 calories per day!! Holy cow! No wonder I've been feeling hungry!! LOL! The weird thing about my body is that at rest, I don't burn any fat calories. How annoying! In 2 years of being tested, I have had 1 test where I was burning fat calories at rest but now I'm thinking that was likely the 'blip' and that the 0 fat cals. burned at rest is my natural state... more incentive to keep moving, I say!! I'm still burning quite steadily during activity and my metabolism has obviously sped up quite a bit since my last RMR test in December 2009... guess I'd better count my blessings ;)

I admit that it was quite gratifying to be able to run at a faster pace for my test this time around... I got up to 7.5 mph (that's fast for me!). I wonder if I can get fit enough for 8.0 mph in 3 months' time or maybe... 8.5 mph? That would be pretty cool ;) Something to look forward to...

Now we are at the start of another new training week and I'm entering Block 6 of my training schedule... at first glance, my workouts look brutal... it will be interesting to see how it plays out this week! Wish me luck!! :)

About Me

I was first exposed to yoga at the age of 4...
I've been teaching for over 12 years and it is my passion to pass this practice on to others.
I am grateful to have studied with some wonderful teachers, including Mark Whitwell, Shiva Rea, Judith Lasater and Paul Grilley.
When I'm not involved in yoga... I'm a triathlete (albeit an unlikely one!)
I'm not fast but I am stubborn and determined to finish whatever I start, so I get myself to the Finish Line no matter how long it takes! Remember the TORTOISE?
When I'm not swimming, biking, running or doing yoga, I have a passion for baking and decorating cakes and cookies and giving them away or selling them... I'm dying to go to pastry school!
I'm a professional photographer as well - and enjoy shooting sports, lifestyle portraits, pets and just about anything else - check out my website -- www.suesitkiphoto.com.
I want to run an ultra someday...
OH - and... I'm a CAT LADY :)